Alginate is a naturally occurring anionic polysaccharide, primarily derived from brown algae and certain bacterial species, and is widely recognized for its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and low immunogenicity. Owing to its tunable gelation behavior, mucoadhesive properties, and high drug encapsulation capacity, alginate has found broad application in wound healing, tissue engineering, drug delivery, and biomedical device fabrication. Despite its increasing commercialization, regulatory frameworks governing alginate as a raw material remain insufficient particularly in the Republic of Korea, where approvals are issued at the product level without standardized specifications for the raw material. In contrast, the United States has established material-specific standards through USP monographs and FDA guidelines. This review critically evaluates the current status of domestically approved alginate-based products, outlines the essential technical documentation required for regulatory approval, and highlights the lack of harmonized, material-level standards. The study emphasizes the urgent need for standardized specifications for alginate as a raw biomaterial to enhance product quality, ensure batch-to-batch consistency, and promote international regulatory alignment, ultimately facilitating its safe, consistent, and effective use in biomedical engineering applications.

During the canning of tuna, many by-products are produced, including dark meat, viscera, skin, and cooking drip. As production volume increases, the amount of by-products also rises. Therefore, this study aimed to utilize discarded processing by-products as functional materials. The cooking drip generated during tuna canning was desalted and used to produce hydrolysates. Four commercial enzymes-Alcalase, Flavourzyme, Neutrase, and Protamex-were employed, yielding hydrolysis rates of 65.25%, 76.12%, 75.7%, and 65.25%, respectively. The prepared hydrolysate's ABTS radical scavenging activity (IC₅₀ values) were 3.5, 7.3, 5.2, and 6.2 mg/mL. The alcalase-assisted hydrolysate from tuna cooking drip (ATH) was identified as the most effective treatment in this study. An in vitro study showed that ATH significantly inhibited reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide production in Vero cells. Therefore, ATH has potential as a functional ingredient in the food industry due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Seaweed-derived natural compounds are increasingly recognized for their potent antioxidant and skin-protective effects, offering a viable alternative to synthetic cosmetic ingredients. Oxidative stress accelerates skin aging by degrading collagen and hyaluronic acid, leading to reduced elasticity, increased wrinkle formation, and impaired moisture retention. This study investigated the antioxidant and anti-aging effects of Polysiphonia morrowii extract (PME), obtained using 70% ethanol-a red alga rich in polyphenols and flavonoids. The total polyphenol and flavonoid contents, DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging activities, and inhibitory effects on collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase were evaluated. PME exhibited high polyphenol (95.79 ± 5.72 mg/g) and flavonoid (39.77 ± 0.68 mg/g) contents. It also demonstrated significant antioxidant activity, with IC₅₀ values of 32.4 ± 0.11 ㎍/mL for the DPPH assay and 10.2 ± 0.17 ㎍/mL for the ABTS assay. Moreover, PME effectively inhibited collagenase (IC₅₀ = 614.96 ± 1.55 ㎍/mL), elastase (IC₅₀ = 140.63 ± 8.28 ㎍/mL), and hyaluronidase (IC₅₀ = 11.02 ± 0.44 ㎍/mL), indicating strong anti-aging potential. These findings suggest that PME may help mitigate skin aging by modulating key enzymes involved in skin matrix degradation. Therefore, PME represents a promising natural and sustainable ingredient for anti-aging skincare and cosmetic formulations.

Scytosiphon lomentaria (SLE), a species of brown algae, was evaluated for its potential use as a functional cosmetic ingredient and high-value-added material. The total polyphenol content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) were quantified, and antioxidant capacity was determined using the ABTS radical scavenging assay. Additionally, inhibitory activities against collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase, and tyrosinase-key enzymes involved in skin aging and pigmentation-were measured. The TPC was 54.69 ± 1.25 mg/g and the TFC was 22.06 ± 1.60 mg/g, demonstrating notable antioxidant activity. All four enzyme inhibitory activities increased in a concentration-dependent manner, with potent inhibition of elastase and hyaluronidase. These findings suggest that S. lomentaria extract can be utilized as a natural functional material with effective antioxidant and anti-aging properties. The results also provide a valuable reference for future applications of this extract in cosmetic formulations and in the development of high-value-added products.

To establish a quantitative model for determining the contents of major minerals (K, Na, Mg, and Ca) in dried laver using an FT-NIR spectrometer, a total of 108 FT-NIR spectra were collected by measuring each of 36 dried laver samples three times, with mineral contents confirmed in advance. The original FT-NIR spectra were preprocessed using first-order Savitzky-Golay derivatives combined with 9-point moving-average smoothing. Among the measured wavelengths, the NIR region spanning 1,800-2,500 nm was selected for quantitative analysis. Partial least squares regression was applied to construct calibration models, and the optimal number of calibration factors was determined to be 8-11 for each mineral based on comparisons between mineral contents and wavelength-dependent absorbance. Application of the established quantitative model yielded regression coefficients of ≥ 0.97 for calibration and validation curves across all four minerals. The Q-values were ≥ 0.94, and consistency was 75.78-95.75, confirming that FT-NIR spectroscopy enables reliable measurement of major mineral contents in dried laver.